Pupils took a step back to the 1930s when their school reached its 50th anniversary.

The celebrations at Donnington School had a distinctly Oxford flavour, with the city crest, a mortar board and car badges on display.

The picture comes from Sue Hallett, whose son Daniel is holding the MG sign. She was prompted to write in after seeing reader Mick Laverty’s picture of a class at the school in 1952 (Memory Lane, January 19).

Mrs Hallett, of Florence Park Road, Cowley, nee Rice, writes: “The children were dressed in 1930s outfits. My family were among the first to attend Donnington School and I remember Charles Hart, the first head, with fondness. At every Christmas party, it was tradition for him to go outside the main hall while an item was hidden from him in a Christmas hide-and-seek.

“He always, to the great delight and booing of his pupils, used to cheat and peek through the outside window. Then on his return, we shouted hot or cold until he found the item.

“Miss Salmon was the headmistress of the nursery and infants part of the school and Mr Ward was the music teacher who taught the recorder band.

“He used to walk along the row listening for a wrong note. When he found the erring child, he took an enormous white handkerchief out of his pocket, wiped the recorder mouthpiece and blew the correct note.

“When I was about 10 or 11, I wrote a play at the request of my classmates called ‘King Bogglepop has a Toothache,' which was performed on the stage in front of the whole school. I still have the script somewhere.”

As we recalled, the school, in Cornwallis Road, opened in 1936/7 with 74 boys and 58 girls in its infant and junior departments.

Headmaster Mr Hart, who was in charge for 25 years, returned to join the 50th anniversary celebrations, which included an exhibition of pictures and other memorabilia and a stage revue based on its history.

Much of the groundwork for these was done by deputy head Joan Ankers and teacher Rosanne Butler, who researched the school’s past.

The school’s most famous pupil, comedian Ronnie Barker, was unable to attend.

* Do you recognise yourself or anyone else in the picture? Write and let me know.